5.21.2007

food for thought

"Evangelicals at a Crossroads As Falwell's Generation Fades" - from the Post, emphasis mine. This definitely reflects the trends I see in my students at the Christian university at which I teach."Polls suggest that evangelicals under 30 are just as staunchly opposed to abortion, and almost as concerned about 'moral standards' in general, as their elders. But a February Pew survey found that younger evangelicals are more likely than their parents to worry about environmental issues; 59 percent of those under 30 said the United States was 'losing ground' on pollution, compared with 37 percent of those over 30.

"Acceptance of homosexuality is also greater among young evangelicals. One in three under 30 favors same-sex marriage, compared with one in 10 of their elders.

"Redeem the Vote, a group formed in 2004 to register young evangelicals to vote, is campaigning with black churches in Alabama for capping the interest charges on short-term 'payday' loans, which can hit 400 percent a year. The group's founder, physician Randy Brinson, said he finds that young evangelicals are intensely interested in practical ways to help their communities and are little swayed by issues such as same-sex marriage.

"'These kids have gone to school with people who happen to be gay, and they don't see them as a direct threat. They may think that lifestyle is wrong, but they don't see it as something that really affects their daily lives,' Brinson said. 'The groups that focus only on a narrow agenda, especially gay marriage and abortion, are going to decline.'"